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Pasta is one of the most, if not the most, used ingredients in Italian cooking, which is part of the Mediterranean diet. Now I am giving a few tips or advice in order to cook and use properly pasta.

Please, note that these tips are referred only to pasta boiled in water, so for Lasagna, Cannelloni (known in the US, who knows why, as Manicotti) etc. they do not apply.

1. Do not use too much sauce. The complete name for pasta is pastasciutta, which means dry pasta. Here in the US I see too often pasta floating on a gallon of sauce. It’s true that in the south of Italy people tend to use too much sauce, but that’s not the right way for pasta. People think that pasta make you fatter. Of course any kind of food make you fatter, but if you do not exceed with sauce, the number of calories stays low enough to avoid problems.
2. Cook the right quantity of pasta. The rule of thumb in Italy is to make 100 grams of pasta per serving. 100 grams are equivalent to, more or less, 3.5 ounces. If you eat 500 grams of pasta per serving, you should see a doctor; something is wrong with your diet.
   
3. How to cook pasta. Cook pasta in a pot with at least one quart of water per 3.5 oz serving. Pasta needs a lot of water. Add salt (I use kosher salt) only when water is boiling; this is the best way to avoid damages to the pot. Pasta must be cooked until “al dente”, which means not overcooked. It should still need some chewing, it should not feel like you are eating glue. As per cooking time, read the following tip.
4. What brand of pasta should I use? I have to say that I am not taking money from pasta makers, so I am not biased toward any brand, and this is my personal opinion. In the US there are only 2 good brands of Italian pasta: De Cecco and Barilla. All other brands, especially if made in Germany, are simply awful. De Cecco is the best pasta commonly available. It holds well overcooking (but please don’t do that), the texture is fantastic. It’s pricey though. Barilla is an excellent second choice, not as good as De Cecco against overcooking, but much more affordable. Now let’s talk about cooking time. This is a rule of thumb, you should fine tuning this timing depending by the format of pasta (spaghetti vs. rigatoni etc.) and personal preferences. With Barilla I usually follow the highest time suggested by the manufacturer. With the De Cecco I usually exceed this time by 1 or 2 minutes. Start timing after you added pasta to the boiling water AND after the water resumes the boiling state. Just to be sure, taste pasta 1 or 2 minutes before it should be ready. Not always the cooking time is consistent. Do not forget to stir pasta often using possibly a wooden tool; in the US is hard to find a wooden fork which is perfect for spaghetti.
5. How to drain pasta. I personally don’t like that sort of draining thing you insert into the pot. This limits the space available for pasta, it’s bulky and when you drain pasta, it’s still too wet. Buy a cheap pasta colander, the one you can place into the sink. It’s best if made of stainless steel but even one made out of plastic works.